County courthouse re-opens after bomb threat hoax

BRENTWOOD — The Rockingham County Superior Courthouse was evacuated for three hours Tuesday morning following a report of a bomb in the building.

Elizabeth Dinan

BRENTWOOD — The Rockingham County Superior Courthouse was evacuated for three hours Tuesday morning following a report of a bomb in the building.

The bomb scare was made by telephone at about 9 a.m. and prompted the precautionary evacuation, said County Attorney James Reams. Responding, he said, were state police troopers, sheriff’s department deputies and local police officers who inspected the courthouse.

The call was classified as a hoax and employees and court visitors were allowed back into the building at about noon, according to Reams.

State police referred inquiries about the bomb threat to the sheriff’s department, where Maj. Al Brackett said his office is, “actively pursuing leads.” He said deputies who initially responded to the scene found a suspicious device and called in three state police bomb-sniffing dogs.

The device was later declared to be a harmless metal coffee container found tucked under a trash receptacle.

Brackett said anyone found to be responsible for the bogus bomb threat will be charged with a felony count of criminal threatening.

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